Joy of Life

We live in the most pleasant time in history, and yet we still don't know how to enjoy ourselves. Have we forgotten the art of rejoicing? This is what Iiro Rantala asks in his double concerto Joy of Life, which is full of virtuosity and witty banter for orchestra, violin and piano. Even the old rascal Beethoven shows a childish sense of playfulness; the Eighth Symphony's arsenal of pranks includes at least self-irony, parody and exaggeration, per...